Eric Adams traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Friday, 5 November 2021 and from there he flew into Santiago, the Dominican Republic’s second largest city, on Sunday. He is expected to meet with President Luis Abinader at the Presidential Palace on Monday, 8 November.
New York is the second largest Dominican city, only after capital city Santo Domingo. As reported, his agenda in the Dominican Republic is to meet with business leaders and Dominican legislators, especially of the Chamber of Deputies.
With the trip made on Sunday, 7 November 8, 2021, Adams says he fulfills his promise to thank Dominicans for their vote. The current Brooklyn borough president, Eric Adams (Democrat) won the New York City mayoralty by defeating Curtis Sliwa (Republican) 676,481 votes (66.5%) to 293,127 (28.8%).
Adams is making the trip in his official capacity as mayor-elect. During his campaign for mayor, Adams heavily courted Dominican New Yorkers and Latinos.
NY1 reports that Adams is in the Dominican Republic to talk about economic partnerships and the relationship between New York City and the Dominican people, which make up the largest share of Latinos in the city.
Adams will be staying through Tuesday, 9 November before heading back to New York City.
In the Dominican Republic, the media reported on his meeting in Santiago where he pledged to strengthen relations with the Dominican Republic and promote economic, cultural and educational exchanges.
During a meeting with the business people of Santiago and the northern region, represented in the organization Compromiso Santiago, held at the Santiago Development Association, Adams stressed the importance of educational exchanges so the new generations get to know other cultures. He said in New York he will create a round table where all the ethnic groups will sit down to discuss their problems and present their ideas on potential solutions.
The mayor-elect said he will promote cultural exchanges with the country to bring to New York artists and everything that identifies the Dominican Republic. He said he will foster commercial exchanges, bring economic delegations from New York to the DR, and soon invite a Dominican delegation to New York to identify business and trade opportunities.
“We are going to build together, work together, communicate together, we are going to move nations together in a good direction. We are a family, my house is your house,” he said.
Speaking in Santiago, the mayor-elect promised to back the Dominican police that is immersed in a process of reform.
Miguel Lama, president of the Santiago Free Trade Zone Corporation, valued Adams’ visit and said that Compromiso Santiago places its institutions at the disposal of the new mayor to work on actions that benefit both cities. Fernando Capellán, of the Association for Development, highlighted the opportunities for closer socio-productive ties between the two cities.
Democrat Eric Adams is a former police captain and former Republican who will be the second African-American and apparently first vegan mayor in the city’s history. Adams takes office on 1 January 2021.
Read more:
NY1
NPR
El Caribe
Diario Libre
8 November 2021